‘No-one should spoil young minds for political goals’

Former chairman of Karnataka Agricultural Price Commission and progressive thinker Prakash Kammaradi said on Friday that no-one should use young minds to achieve political goals.

In an open discussion on ‘Student community and polarisation’ in Udupi, he said that an intellectual like Kota Shivarama Karanth, the Jnanapith awardee, and many others in Udupi had worked towards building society on a strong foundation. Udupi was once known for its strong communal bonds, Mr. Kammaradi said recalling his student days in Udupi. “The intellectual debates should continue to foster cordial relations among all in the society,” he said.

The Sahabalve of Udupi, Samajavadi Adhyayana Kendra, Bengaluru and Karavali Karnataka Janabhivriddhi Vedike had jointly organized the discussion in view of ongoing controversy and protests over dress code in education institutes across the State. The row spread to other colleges from Udupi.

Narayana A., a professor at Ajim Premji University, Bengaluru, said that at the time of media cacophony over the headscarf issue, common people found it difficult to understand the truth behind how and why the incident over the dress code evolved and the causes for the same. The portrayal of the entire episode in the media was veiled and lacked clarity, he said.

The Sahabalve Team member Amrith Shenoy said that the students who demanded to wear headscarves inside classrooms democratically expressed their view and never came to the streets to create trouble on college campuses, he said.

Senior theatre person Prasanna and others were present.